Close-up of a 1930s iron lung, with text describing its manufacturer.

MUSEUM BLOG

Explore our blog to learn about pieces from Canada’s largest collection of medical artifacts, discover the lesser-known history of health care, or hear about all of the exciting developments at the Canadian Museum of Health Care.

The Story of Dr. Abraham Colles and his Fracture
History of Healthcare, Students, Interns and ..., Tell Me a Story Tuesday Canadian Museum of Health Care History of Healthcare, Students, Interns and ..., Tell Me a Story Tuesday Canadian Museum of Health Care

The Story of Dr. Abraham Colles and his Fracture

Dr. Abraham Colles is most famous for his description of Colles’ fracture of the wrist, for which the Museum of Health Care has many splints.Born near Kilkenny, Ireland in 1773, he first became interested in medicine when a flood destroyed the home of a nearby doctor and washed an anatomy book towards his home. He returned the book to the doctor, who allowed him to keep it.In 1802, he became president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland when he was only twenty-eight years old. In 1804, he became a Professor of Anatomy, Physiology, and Surgery to the College of Surgeons. He held numerous other positions and worked with many charitable hospitals and health care organizations over his career.⁠

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The Story of Dr. Ralph Crawford and his Dental Collection
History of Healthcare, Students, Interns and ..., Tell Me a Story Tuesday Canadian Museum of Health Care History of Healthcare, Students, Interns and ..., Tell Me a Story Tuesday Canadian Museum of Health Care

The Story of Dr. Ralph Crawford and his Dental Collection

Did you know that the Museum of Health Care has an extensive collection of dental objects? We have over 680 catalogued on our database, and more where that came from! Much of what we have today we owe to Dr. Patrick “Ralph” Crawford, who donated well over 1500 dentistry-related objects! ⁠Dr. Crawford was an incredible source of knowledge and friend to the Museum of Health Care, and was named Museum Curator Emeritus for his extensive contributions to our dental collections and exhibits. His series of articles “The Canadian Dental Association 1902-2002 - A Century of Service" continues to be an important resource for cataloguing and researching dental artefacts

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